pugnacity

American  

[puhg-nas-i-tee] / pʌgˈnæs ɪ ti /

Also pugnaciousness

noun

1. readiness to quarrel or fight; combative or argumentative character.

   She was always defending him against the fallout from his pugnacity and lack of social graces.

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Etymology

Origin of pugnacity

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin pugnācitās “combativeness,” equivalent to pugnāci-, stem of pugnāx “combative” + -tās -ty ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

I am not persuaded by this criticism—the idea that Jaffa’s famous pugnacity arose from his Straussian ideas rather than his personality strikes me as tendentious.

From The Wall Street Journal

Along the way, she showed flashes of the humor and pugnacity that have made her one of squash’s more forceful personalities.

From New York Times

No one loved to use Harry M. Reid’s past as an amateur middleweight as a metaphor for his political pugnacity more than Mr. Reid himself.

From Washington Post

In an early demonstration of his political pugnacity, Mr. Reid had demanded during the campaign that Mr. Laxalt release his family’s financial interests.

From New York Times

In an early demonstration of his political pugnacity, Reid had demanded during the campaign that Laxalt release his family’s financial interests.

From Seattle Times